Norcold Frig not staying cold - Page 2

**JFlightRisk** · 08-06-2019, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecsfour

That's why I am questioning my frig... Mine is always on the coldest setting (which is 9 for my frig) And I barely get the thing to stay cold within the 35-40 range. Then when I'm in a hot vacation place (or here at home as it is in the 90's... it is above 40.

The other thing you can do, is remove the lower fridge access panel on the side of your camper. That may allow more air to circulate up the rear of the fridge.

thecsfour · 08-07-2019, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

OK, this question might be out there, but I'll ask anyway, as I had a similar incident.

How are you measuring the actual temp? Is there a digital gauge inside the fridge, or are you using a aftermarket, off the shelf fridge thermometer?

Reason I ask, I thought my fridge was having a tough time too, and I was using a standard, round stainless steel off the shelf gauge you buy in the houseware aisle. I thought there might be something wrong with the gauge, so I bought two more thermometers.

Come to find out, the old one was off by like 6-8 degrees, so just wondering if this could be your issue... just a long shot...

I just have been using the round stainless steel thermometer inside the frig. Maybe I'll buy a digital one so I can compare.

damammel · 08-07-2019, 02:47 PM

Here’s the wireless gauge I use in both my fridge and freezer. It’s been great for keeping an eye on temps and seeing that the bottom drawer is a little warmer than the top shelf.

AcuRite 00986 Refrigerator Thermometer with 2 Wireless Temperature Sensors & Customizable Alarms for Fridge & Freezer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJVU78..._MJZsDbHEJW702

RetiredOne · 08-07-2019, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecsfour

I just have been using the round stainless steel thermometer inside the frig. Maybe I'll buy a digital one so I can compare.

Ahhh, I thought that might have been it. That was the same thing I was using, and found out how inaccurate they are. My kitchen fridge took a dump, and the new one I bought has a digital thermostat. I put the round S.S. thermometer in there, and that's how I found out it was off by a lot.

So, I bought bought new ones, stuck them in the kitchen fridge, along with two other digital thermometers I have, and compared all readings. Now, I know how accurate the new ones are, and put them in my coach fridge.

Rustynuts · 08-07-2019, 05:05 PM

I just read last night that the proper way to take a cooling reading is with a thermometer in a glass of water to get an accurate reading.

RetiredOne · 08-07-2019, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rustynuts

I just read last night that the proper way to take a cooling reading is with a thermometer in a glass of water to get an accurate reading.

I don't think my battery operated, digital thermometer would like that...

Thomson · 08-07-2019, 09:16 PM

We have a four door Norcold that we set to 9 when daytime gets to 90F and night goes to 70F. The fridge is about 34F and the freezer on the right front varies from 12F to 18F. The best place to.put your ice cream is in the back left side of the freezer. That is where it is the coldest

thecsfour · 08-08-2019, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damammel

Here’s the wireless gauge I use in both my fridge and freezer. It’s been great for keeping an eye on temps and seeing that the bottom drawer is a little warmer than the top shelf.

AcuRite 00986 Refrigerator Thermometer with 2 Wireless Temperature Sensors & Customizable Alarms for Fridge & Freezer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJVU78..._MJZsDbHEJW702

I just ordered this exact same one... Will be here tomorrow, so I'll check it with that one and compare to the other thermometer I've been using.

thecsfour · 08-08-2019, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomson

We have a four door Norcold that we set to 9 when daytime gets to 90F and night goes to 70F. The fridge is about 34F and the freezer on the right front varies from 12F to 18F. The best place to.put your ice cream is in the back left side of the freezer. That is where it is the coldest

That's similar to ours... Always on 9. But ours doesn't stay at 34 much. It fluctuates between 35 and 40 most of the time. Then when it gets into the 90's it will go up to 45. We had otter pops on the left side of the freezer and they were always soft, never getting hard.

Marmot · 08-10-2019, 12:01 PM

You need increased ventilation. Amazon has fan assemblies you can attach inside the vent and easily wire into your 12 volt system. It will dramatically increase air flow and lower your fridge temp. Mine came with attachment clips, but I used zip ties instead. Very easy.

Johnynorthland · 08-10-2019, 12:09 PM

If you have your fridge on the coldest setting most likely the fins are freezing up. We put a set of computer cooling fans with homemade binder clips on to the fins, I also vented the fridge roof exhaust with a water proof cooling exhaust fan from Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072HJ38PS...p_mob_ap_share

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P46D62Q..._QCWtDbG78TY2R

We plan on adding a 2nd roof vent fan to move more air.

Total cost was around $45! I got temp to drop 5 more degrees stays in the 30’s. But if we open close the door a lot temps will climb. Had ice cream in it last week went from SC to FL it stayed frozen.

I have to add, I also use 3 ice packs, 1 in freezer and 2 in fridge. I rotate them every night to refreeze.

OldSoldier_5 · 08-10-2019, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecsfour

That's why I am questioning my frig... Mine is always on the coldest setting (which is 9 for my frig) And I barely get the thing to stay cold within the 35-40 range. Then when I'm in a hot vacation place (or here at home as it is in the 90's... it is above 40.

If it is the 4-door large Norcold, make sure the flapper on the left door flops forward to make a good seal with the righthand door EVERY time. The flapper, in hot weather stretches and rubs on the bottom sill of the fridge and will not close properly to establish a proper seal.

I had a similar problem last year. The solution IAW Norcold was to remove the left-hand door, and install one or two nylon shims on the bottom to raise the door enough that the flapper will not rub on the bottom.

Search Norcold door flapper issue. Lots of info.

https://heartlandowners.org/archive/...p/t-65920.html

Hope this helps

glenn2387 · 08-10-2019, 01:45 PM

We've got a Norcold PolarMax 2118. We've had numerous replacements and NONE of them work dependably. One day we can get great temperatures and for no reason for the next week it's 20 in the freezer and 50 in the fridge. The power is good,... propane supply has been checked for being in spec, coach perfectly level. One day it works and one day it doesn't! We had our coach retrofitted to accommodate this unit and we're getting ready to speak with our attorney about it.

ralett · 08-10-2019, 02:13 PM

We have the same issue: 2018 Seneca, Norcold 4 door frig; have to run it at "9" always; always run the unit for 24 hrs before we load for a trip; if the temps outside are above 90 degrees the frig does not get or stay cold and anything you put in the freezer that is frozen will thaw after about 2 days. I have tried both AC and propane, it seems to work slightly better on gas vs electric. I don't have temperature data from inside the frig but did just purchase some thermometers to start measuring.

Prior to our last trip out to the Colorado River (just south of Needles, CA w/ day time temps of 115+), I installed two 12 v DC fans at the top of the unit where it vents out the roof. This seemed to help some. Frig was noticeably colder and things stayed frozen for 3 days.

After a little research online I tried messing with the thermister which attaches to the cooling fins in the frig box. I moved it from the middle of the outside fin to the top of the outside fin. That didn't seem to make much difference. The I pulled it off the fin letting it just dangle in the air and BINGO, substantially colder in the frig after just a few hours and things in the freezer actually started freezing!

My next task is to measure the resistance of the thermister to see if it in spec or not. I'll be replacing it if its out of spec. I plan to take some temperature measurements inside the frig and freezer. I may also add one of the fan units that blow on the fins inside the frig box.

Bayoutalker · 08-10-2019, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

Is this an RV fridge, or a residential type?
Is your coach level?

Running on electric or propane?

Did you stock it with cold, and frozen food first?

The freezer should be at 0*, and the lower at about 34*, to keep your food safe.

If it's an RV type, there's fins inside the upper back wall of the fridge. There's a clip with a wire attached on the right side fin.. The higher up you slide it up the fin, the colder the fridge will get. Slide it down the fin, and the warmer it gets.

Actually I just had that conversation with Norcold as my freezer wasn't staying cold enough unless the fridge was too cold. They told me to make the freezer colder move that clip 2-3 fins left from its current position. So far it looks good. My Dometic worked as you described with moving the clip up and down on the same fin but I guess the Norcold is different.

Bayoutalker · 08-10-2019, 02:47 PM

Mine will go to 5 and currently it is set on 4 and the freezer is freezing solid and the fridge is plenty cold. That is in Southeast Texas and the heat index today is 103°. The fridge is on the west side and is exposed to the afternoon sun with nothing to block it.

bearkeller · 08-10-2019, 03:37 PM

Also have the 4 door Norcold and Norcold eventually replaced it. I kept a daily log of refrigerator and freezer temps and did all their recommendations to make it work, nothing did. A mobile service tech thought it was a bad box. The new one had a flapper issue and raised the left door just a bit and all is fine. I put a piece of white tape on the flapper so I can see it better. Also very important to keep as mush air as possible moving over the cooling unit in the back. I plan on installing another fan to help that. It already has 3 but will install as large a one as I can fit. According to Norcold they say 35-38 in the frig and 11 in the freezer is what they consider acceptable. I disagree, freezer should be closer to 0. I’m going to try moving that clip to the left and see it it helps

Imazman · 08-10-2019, 10:18 PM

We have a 2018 Jayco Melbourne with a Norcold refrigerator....I believe model number is an N8 or NX. Any way, second time we used it, it stopped working with a red led blink code (bad electronics). Had it replaced and worked for 10 more trips. This past time it worked for 1 day then next morning everything was thawed out. Had to throw away all food, went to Walmart and bought two coolers, ice, and new food. Could not find a service center that could help during your trip but one service fellow said to remove the thermostat, most times a disconnected thermostat will be a normally open condition and cause the refrigerator to run all the time. Tried this, but still didn't work. That night I plugged the thermostat back in and reattached it to the refrigerator fins inside. Next morning fridge worked again. Bought a thermometer. Today tried it again and it worked...well the refrigerator part was at 50 degrees set on max (level 5)...outside temp was 72 degrees and inside RV temp was about 79 degrees. However, both times it "stopped working" we did run the generator and both times it did stop working right after using the generator... coincidence...maybe...but we will be doing some testing with turning on/off generator to see if it stops or confuses the fridge.

-J is for Junk

**JFlightRisk** · 08-10-2019, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bayoutalker

Actually I just had that conversation with Norcold as my freezer wasn't staying cold enough unless the fridge was too cold. They told me to make the freezer colder move that clip 2-3 fins left from its current position. So far it looks good. My Dometic worked as you described with moving the clip up and down on the same fin but I guess the Norcold is different.

Thanks. That's a good trick to know. I'll try to keep that in the back of my mind. Hopefully not too far back.

Johnynorthland · 08-11-2019, 10:36 AM

All of these absorption fridges are problematic. I’m wondering if residential is a better option?!

I’ve found this device doing research https://www.arprv.com/purchase.php
I wonder if it helps? Anyone ever use this?

My Norcold has an issue when you start out on shore power, disconnect, the fridge doesn’t switch automatically to propane unless you turn power off and on again. BUT if you start out on propane then switch to shore power, then unplug, propane automatically lights up! Any experience this? And yes I keep it in auto mode.

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